The Kentucky House speaker announced his resignation in a dramatic speech on Monday, more than two months after he acknowledged settling a sexual harassment claim.

Rep. Jeff Hoover, whose resignation was accepted moments after his speech, will continue to serve in the House.

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Hoover, who slammed his critics for spreading "lies from the deepest pits of hell," denied sexually harassing a woman who worked for the House Republican Caucus and claimed he sent inappropriate but consensual text messages.

The settlement, which was signed by Hoover and three other Republican lawmakers, was handled outside of court and paid for with private money to avoid publicity.

But the Courier Journal obtained the text messages dating back to 2016 and exposed the exchange in November, creating an uproar in a state that was transitioning to Republican rule after decades of dominance by Democrats.

After the settlement came to light, Hoover announced he would resign as speaker but keep his seat .

Jeff Hoover looks up to the cheers from the gallery following his swearing in Frankfort, Ky. (Timothy D. Easley/AP)

But when the Legislature convened this month, Hoover said he was only temporarily stepping aside as speaker "until further notice."

Eight Republican lawmakers then filed formal disciplinary charges against Hoover, alleging he sexually harassed a woman in his office and then used taxpayer resources to cover it up. They asked a special committee to recommend expelling Hoover from the House.

Hoover, who claimed the complaint was motivated by politics, described his emotional state on Monday, saying, "I laid on my couch day after day after day in the fetal position."

"I got down on the floor when no one was at home, crying uncontrollably and screaming out to almighty God to help me through this situation and to help my family. ... I went into isolation. I didn't want to talk to anyone, see anyone. ... I couldn't eat. I lost 33 pounds in four weeks," he added.